Because of two freshmen and a recently benched senior. Because of Juwan Morgan’s continued, if underappreciated, brilliance. But mostly because, at the end of a season that looked lost but now appears likely to end with IU in the Big Ten’s top half, the Hoosiers are carrying each other, buying what their coach is selling and still improving.

“Moments like tonight, hard-fought win where guys made winning plays, those stick with you,” Miller said after the game. “You learn how to win that way. This is the type of experience that’s going to help them become winning Indiana players.”

This is the same coach who dubbed his team “soft” the night it lost by 21 at home to an Indiana State team currently 6-9 in the Missouri Valley Conference. The same one who alternated between bewilderment and disgust at performances against Michigan and Fort Wayne.

Bringing the lows up seems like playing a worn-out song, but to understand where this team is now requires understanding where it has come from.

Wednesday’s win, at least for the time being, handed the Hoosiers the No. 50 defense nationally in terms of adjusted efficiency, per Ken Pomeroy. In Big Ten play, only Ohio State is defending better.

Indiana allowed Indiana State to score 1.25 points per possession on Nov. 10. The Sycamores hit 17 3-pointers that night. The Hoosiers’ last three opponents — all of them Big Ten bottom feeders but Big Ten teams nonetheless — have managed a combined 14 3s.

Miller talked Wednesday night about a team of players and coaches who “enjoy being around one another.” What he has is a locker room that’s still soaking up everything he’s pouring out, still absorbing what he’s teaching.

“Sometimes at the end of the season, you get tuned out,” Miller said. “That’s not happening.”

The how of Wednesday mattered.

Illinois’ pressure defense gave the Hoosiers fits from the beginning. Just as it had in the two teams’ first meeting of the season, last month in Champaign, it took some of Indiana’s more established leaders out of their rhythm.

Robert Johnson scored 14 points, a joint team high, but also committed six turnovers. Devonte Green’s month of revelation slowed slightly, as he gave the ball away four times and shot just 1-of-4 from the floor.

Even Morgan turned in a quiet offensive performance by his increasingly lofty standards. Morgan’s 14 points were his lowest scoring total since his injury-shortened game at Michigan State on Jan. 19.

Couple that with all the fouls, and the choppy pace of play that followed, and Indiana had to navigate a different kind of game Wednesday.

Up stepped two freshmen and a senior. Justin Smith scored several of his 13 points early, helping the Hoosiers through that dry spell to start. Nine of Al Durham’s 14 points came after halftime, including big shots down the stretch to hold Illinois at arm’s length. Newkirk — removed from the starting lineup recently in favor of Green — also contributed crucial second-half baskets.

In total, Indiana finished plus-13 in bench points, in a game it won by 10. Illinois (12-15, 2-12) wanted and got a rock fight. IU won, undeterred.

Indiana Hoosiers guard Robert Johnson (4) drives to the basket during the game against Illinois at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind., on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018. Bobby Goddin/For IndyStar

Illinois Fighting Illini forward Greg Eboigbodin (11) grabs a loose ball before Indiana Hoosiers forward Freddie McSwain Jr. (21) can get to it during the first half of the game at Assembly Hall. Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

Indiana Hoosiers forward Justin Smith (3) fights through contact on his way to the basket during the game against Illinois at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind., on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018. Bobby Goddin/For IndyStar, Bobby Goddin/For IndyStar

“It shows that the team is continuing to do the right things, coachability, working to get better individually, caring about everything that we do,” he said. “You don’t have performances like that off the bench if you don’t have a locked-in team.”

That in itself is a win. There have been moments when this roster and its coaching staff have seemed miles apart, when Miller’s system and philosophy have felt like a language the Hoosiers could not speak.

As this season has aged, that gap has closed. The distance has been bridged. Indiana is now 7-2 this winter against teams below it in the Big Ten standings, evidence of a program still well away from where its coach wants it, but perfectly comfortable beating up on the bottom of the league in the meantime.

Those would be empty calories if this team had NCAA tournament aspirations. But this season won’t be defined by that.

It will be defined by how firmly this group builds the foundation for what comes next, as is often the case after a coaching change.